Church bell toller



Sept. 26, 1950 A. c. J. ROY

cmmcu BELL TOLLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1946 110 611012 DC. [220% Hi. 0R 11C.)

110v. AC. on M.

INVENTOR .firl/mr [Jfiay BY Mm,

ATTORNEYS Sept. 26, 1950 A.CL.L RCDY CHURCH BELL TOLLER Filed Dec. 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill!!! INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Sept- 26, 1950 CHURCH BELL TOLLER Arthur C. J. Roy, New York, N. Y. MaryViault, New York County, N. Y., administratrix of said Arthur C. J. Roy, deceased, assignor to John H. Sadler, Coytesville, N. J.

Application December 17, 1946, Serial No. 716,823

This invention relates to bell ringing devices for ringing or tolling church bells, chime bells, carillon bells, hour-Pstriking bells and the like.

An object of the invention is to improve bell ringing devices.

Another object is to improve the devices for tolling or ringing church bells, chime bells, carillon bells, hour-striking bells and the like to render them simpler, more efiective, more reliable, more durable and more automatic in operation.

A further object is to improve electric bell ringing and tolling devices.

A still further object is to provide a substantially balanced bell striker mechanism whereby the load on the actuating mechanism is reduced.

An additional object is to provide an adaptable bell ringer mechanism, the essential parts of which may be the same or substantially the same for ringers intended for mounting inside a bell and those intended for outside mounting.

Another object is to provide a bell striking mechanism which can readily and simply be adjusted to regulate the volume of sound emitted by the bell.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings taken in connection with the appended claims.

A feature of the invention resides in a striker mounting wherein the striker is pivoted on an arm and a substantial proportion of its weight is balanced by a counterweight or counterweights.

The arm is preferably mounted'to come to rest in substantially vertical position. According to a further aspect of the invention an electric actuating mechanism is provided for accelerating the striker toward the bell and according to a still further feature the actuating mechanism is effectively decoupled from the striker to allow free swing thereof during the completion of the tolling stroke.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a bell and electrically operated tolling mechanism therefor, and a diagram of the operating circuit therefor;

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the tolling mechanism as viewed from the right in Figure 1;

Figurefi is a sectional elevation on the line 33, of Figure 2;-

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a modified bell and toller in which the bell is mounted for swin ing and the toller is mounted outside the bell;

Figure 5 is an elevation of a bell, shown in cessity of lubrication; This provides a troublesection, and a hand operated tolling mechanism.

I While a pr'e'ferred'embodiment of the inven tion is described herein, it is contemplated that considerable variation maybe made in the method of procedure and the construction of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. v

Referring to the drawings, the bell l0 (Figure 1) which may be of cast bronze of conventional shape, is mounted and supported by a bolt II on a frame l2, which may be formed of wood timbers or structural steel'members in a 'belfry o1 a church. The bell is suspended with its mouth downwardly directed.

The tollingmechanism, generally designated by the numeral I4, is mounted on a supporting iron bracket H! which may be attached to a vertical support forming part of the frame l2. In

some cases, where it is convenient to do so, the

- pair of iron brackets l9 bolted at 20 to the iron base plate [5, which is bolted to the supporting bracket I 3. The arm I9 extends upward "beyond the pivot and carries, at its upper end, a counterweight 2| formed of a stack of circular iron nuts 22 secured to thearm by a bolt 23 having its head countersunkin the arm. The nuts are threaded to screw onto the bolt and a lock washer 24 is interposed between the outermost nut and the rest of the stack to prevent unscrewing.

The hammer l6 and arm IT are preferably integrally formed from a single iron casting to insure a permanent mounting for the hammer and the absence of any free-play under the repeated pounding encountered in use. The pivot hub 25 which is integrally cast with the arm l"! is bored with a transverse hole 26- (Figure 2) and the two ends are counterbored" to provide seats of larger diameterin which are press fitted a pair ofbronze bearing'cylinders 21' which bear against the pivot bolt l8. Bolt I'B is preferably formed of, stainless steell bearing provides a relatively low fric tion'pivot for the hammer arm without the nefree bearing requiring no attention over long periods of use ornon use and free of any tend-- ency to freeze or stick under extreme weather conditions.

Vertical brackets l9 are formed of heavy angle iron and each is provided at its lower end with a horizontal flange 28 integrally bonded to the vertical flanges. Flange 28 of each bracket is bolted by bolts to base plate l5. Vertical flanges 29 of the brackets are positioned in spaced parallel relation on the two sides of the hammer l6 with sufiicient spacing to allow the hammer IE to swing freely between them.

As will appear later the arm I! will come to rest in a substantially vertical position. A leather bumper 38 is secured by rivets 3| to an angle iron 32 bolted to base plate l5. The bumper is mounted in a position to stop the hammer in substantially vertical position on its return swing after striking the bell.

An actuating lever 33 for the striker arm I! projects rearwardly from the side of the arm above the pivot hub 25. The lever is secured to the arm by bolts 34. The lever is formed to provide a curved track 35 comprising a segment of a circle having its center-at the axis of rotation of striker arm I! and a block chain 36 is mounted to lie along this curved track. The body of lever 33 is formed to provide a recess 31 of generally triangular form merging with the upper end of the track 35 and the uppermost block or link of the chain 36 is folded back as shown so that the folded end fits within the triangular recess. It will be noted that this affords a secure anchorage for the upper end of the chain and that any downward pull on the chain will be resisted by the abutment of the folded-over link of the chain against the wall of the triangular recess 31.

The body of lever 33 is built up as shown at 38 along one-side of track 35 to provide a flange which will prevent lateral displacement of the chain from the track. A cover plate 39 is secured over therecess 31 and extends down alongside the track 35 to provide a secondretaining flange for the chain.

The chain 36 supports the armature or plunger M of a solenoid 40 mounted on base plate is im mediately below the lever arm 33. The chain is secured to the plunger b linkconnection comprising a screw 42 connected to the lowermost link of the chain and threaded into a block 43 which is bolted in a slot in the upper end of the plunger by a cross bolt '44. The chain thereby serves as a flexible link connecting the plunger of the solenoid to the lever. If it is desired to adjust the effective length of the chain and thereby change the setting of the plunger within the solenoid this can readily be accomplished by removing the cover 46 and then removing plunger 4| from solenoid 40 and screwing or unscrewing the block 44 on screw 42 for a few turns until the desired adjustment is obtained. A little as one half turn change can be effected.

The plunger 4| is formed of soft iron (which may be laminated, if desired) and consequently is pulled downward into the passage through the center of the solenoid whenever the solenoid is electrically energized. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention the plunger is provided with a mechanical stop to limit its travel into the solenoid. This is accomplished by making the plunger substantially T-shaped so as to provide a pair of arms 45 at the upper end of the plunger. When the solenoid is operated the plunger is drawn into the solenoid until *arms 45 engage the upper end of the solenoid,

which thenstops the downward travel of the hammer it toward the bell.

plunger. It will be apparent that other forms of stop can be provided such a stop member of plate at the bottom of the recess in the solenoid.

A protection cover 46 of sheet metal is secured over the solenoid and plunger.

The solenoid 40 may be adapted for operation from house current, such as alternating or direct current of or 220 volts or any other power supply available. Figure 1 shows, by wa of example, one electric circuit arrangement for oper ating the solenoid. This comprises a relay ill, the contacts of which control the supply of current to the solenoid from an A. C. or D. C. power supply circuit 48. The relay i! is itself controlled by a manual switch 49 which may be manually operated to complete relay energizing circuit 58 from a power source, such as a 110 volt power line. Manual switch 43 may in some instances comprise one of the keys of a manual keyboard, in which case the other keys of the keyboard will control the ringing or tolling of other bells. Thus a complete system for the ringing of a set 01 chime bells and the rendering of chime music is provided. It is also possible, by a simple contact making arrangement to provide for the ring: ing of the bellor bells by a clock.

The mass oithe counterweight 25 is adjusted by varying the numbers and size of circular nuts 22 until its Weight, added to the weight of the lever 33, plunger 4!- and upper end of arm i1, slightly less than counterbalances the weight of hammer it added to the weight of the lower end of arm ll. Expressed differently, the torque applied about the pivot loy'the hammer it exceeds the torque applied by the counterweight plus the torque applied by the plunger when the solenoid is de-energized'by an amount suificient to bring the arm 1? into substantially vertical position against the friction of the bearing. The hammer is will thus tend to come to rest with arm I! in a vertical position and with the back of the hammer against leather bumper 30.

As an example of one embodiment of the invention a hammer weight Of 50 pounds having its central axis 8 inches from the pivot is provided with a 38 pound counterweight having its central axis 7 inches from the pivot. The plunger, chain and lever arm add to the counterweight a torque equal to about 5 pounds acting on a 2 inch radius. It will'b'e apparent that as the hammer arm swings toward the vertical posi tion with the solenoid de-energized the effective torques of the hammer weight and counterweight about the pivot will decrease due to the shortening of their distance from the Vertical plane through the pivot. However, the torque of the de-energized plunger remains constant due to its constant radius of leverage; However, the hammer projects out from one side of the arm and the counterweight from the opposite side, so that the arm is brought to a substantiall verticalposition against the friction of the pivot. A suitable solenoid for a 50 pound hammer will have a maximum pull, when energized, of about 110 pounds,- and one for a 12 pound hammer a pull of 35 pounds. Solenoids of standard sizes can be used and the impulse imparted to the hammer adjusted by varying the length of plunger travel before it strikes the stop.

In operation, whenever the solenoid is energized by operation of key 49 and relay ii the plunger is pulled downward with a force sufficient to rotate arm l? on its pivot thereby accelerating Due to thecircular curvaturt of, track 35 the leverage of the actuating me hanism comprising plunger Al and chain 36. is kept constant throughout the pull stroke of the plunger. At its preferred setting the plunger starts its pull at a position Where approximately 85% of the maximum force or strength of the solenoid is realized. As the stroke continues the force applied by the solenoid to the plunger increases due to the closer coupling of plunger and solenoid brin ing about a reduction in the air gap of the magnetic circuit.

When the hammer has traveled through part of its swing toward the hell but has not yet struck the bell the plunger is brought to a stop in its downward travel by arms 45 coming into contact with the top of the solenoid. This cornpletes the plunger stroke but the hammer l6, having been accelerated by the pull of the plunger continues its travel toward the bell. As the swing of the hammer arm ll continues the chain 36 will slacken and fall into a loop or bow thereby, in

effect, decoupling the plunger from the hammer mechanism is mounted in a position which willcause the hammer to strike the bell rim with a stroke perpendicular to the surfaceof the bell.

On the rebound of the hammer H5 from the bell the slack of chain 38 will be taken up by the rotation of the arm until a lifting force is applied to the plunger M. Ii" the solenoid is still energized the magnetism will resist the lifting force and will bring the arm to a halt with hammer it in a position midway between the bell and the stop 39. However, the hammer will not again be swung to strike the bell until the operating key so is released and then pressed a second time.

When the solenoid is de-energized, either be fore or after the hammer arm return has taken up the slack in. the chain the hammer will swing back to the leather bumper 3b andcome to rest.

Adjustment of the length or the plunger stroke by screwing or unscrewing members s2 and 43. will adjust the strength of the impulse applied, to the hammer during a single actuation of the bell tolling mechanism and hence vary the loudness of the sound emitted by the bell.

Figure 4 illustrates a modification of the invention to provide a telling mechanism for a swing-. ing bell. The bell 5! is mounted a yoke 53 to swing about a horizontal axis 55 which is in the plane of the paper (as seen in Figure 4) and has a swinging clapper 52 mounted within the bell in the usual manner. The bell is provided with the usualv actuating wheel for manual ringing with a pull rope or may be arranged for op-.

eration by an electric motor drive mechanism.

The tolling mechanism 54 is generally similar to mechanism i l, but in this. case the tolling hammer '55 is at the upper end of the arm 5"? and the counterweight ii! is at the lower end. The coun-. terweight torque in this. case applies a torque about the pivot axis 53 which exceeds thetorque. applied by the hammer and plunger, the propor-.v tions being similar to, but in the reverse of those previously described in connection with the mechanism of Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The mechanism 54 is, in this instance, mounted outside the bell on a cross piece 51 of the timber framework supporting the bell, and is positioned to the sideoi the bell and immediately below the swinging axis 55 so as to be outside the path of swing of the bell when it is rung. The tolling mechanism 54 is allowed to remain inactive during ringing of the hell, by swinging.

When it is desired to toll the bell the bell swinging mechanism is allowed to remain inactive so that the bell han s i the vertical rest position illustrated. The tolling mechanism is then electrically actuated in the same. manner as previously described to swing the hammer 56 against the rim of the bell, the hammer, in this instance striking the outside of the rim with a perpendicular blow to achieve the preferred tonal qualities in the telling ofthe bell.

A bell ringing and tolling arrangement isv thus provided as shown. in Figure 4 in which the bell can be rung in the usual manner when it is desired to give a ringing tone and in which the bell can be tolled by the tolling mechanism at times when this. is desired. Due to the'fact that, in swinging, the mouth of the bell projects the sound directly out of the openings of the belfry or bell chamber a cheerful tone of varying intensity is produced. During tolling, however, the mouth of the bell isdirected downwardly into the base of the chamber or tower and due to the resonance of the chamber a more pensive tone is produced. The different tones are used at different times depending on the customs of the church or other institution in which the bell is used. By mounting the tolling mechanism as shown in Figure 4 itis ready for use at any time and yet does not interfere or obstruct the normal ringing of the bell.

Figure 5 illustrates a further modification of the invention in which the tolling mechanism 64 is arranged for manual actuation by pull rope H. The rope is fastened at its, upper end to an eye 14 in the lower end of a pull-rod 13 which extends through an opening 10 in the bed-plate of mounting bracket 6 3 The upper end of pull-rod 13 is D TO idGd with a rubber or leather stop member 5 hich may mpri e a ou hnut in or a washer clamped to the pull-rod. This stop member 15 is larger than the opening Hi so as. to limit the length of the downward stroke when the bellis. tolled. The pull rod is suspended by chain (it from actuating lever 33 as previously described. The. length of chain 66 is so. adjusted that stop member 15 will engage the base. plate of bracket 63 beforev the hammer l-fi strikes. the bell so that the hammer will swing freely in completing its stroke.

The. relative masses of hammer l6. and counter Wei ht. 2 lare adjusted. to bringthe hammer arm I]. to rest. in a substantially vertical position in the same manner as described in connection with the mechanism of Figures 1, 2. and 3-. In this instance theweight of the pull-rod i3 and pull-rope 'l I. will correspond to. the residual pull of plunger 4|. in the de-energized condition resulting from its weight and any residual magnetism of the solenoid.

It will sometimes be desired, for reasons or economyor due. tolack of an electric power supply to install the manual tolling mechanism of Figure 5 at one timeand-later to convert it to electric operation. This can readily be done by replacing the pull rope and pull rod of Figure 5 with. the solenoid and plunger of Figure 1, and making any requiredadjustment in the mass of the counterweight to provide the preferred torque relationship.

It will be evident from the foregoing that an efiicient tolling mechanism has been provided requiring much less force and power for operation due to its substantially balanced mounting. It is thus possible to utilize a relatively small solenoid to toll a bell of several tons in weight and having a heavy striking hammer and, inthe case of manually tolled bells the pull required of the bell man is greatly reduced. However, the actuating mechanism does not interfere with the free swing of the hammer on completion of the stroke and on rebound.

The mechanism is substantially foolproof in operating and of durable construction which will provide years of service without attention or lubrication.

The volume and tone can be readily regulated by an adjustment of the length of the pull stroke of the plunger or the manual pull-bar.

The present invention is applicable to manual or electric operation of church bells, tolling bells, Angelus bells, chime bells, carillon bells, hour striking bells of all sizes, ranging from bells of a few inches in diameter to those of several feet in diameter and many tons in weight.

While the present invention, as to its objects and advantages, has been described herein as carried out in specific embodiments thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereby but it is intended to cover the invention broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: I

1. A tolling bell comprising, in combination, a

depending bell having a flaring opening at the bottom, a support including a horizontal pivot within said bell, an arm pivoted thereon by means of a bearing cooperating with said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of said arm, a hammer weight at the lower end of said arm positioned to strike the inside of the rim or" said bell upon rotation of said arm to a position in which the arcuate path of said hammer is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the flange of said bell, a counterweight on the upper end of said arm, a downward force applying element having an energized and a de-energized condition, a lever on said arm and an actuating link suspending said element from said lever to apply a torque to said arm to accelerate said hammer weight toward striking relation with said bell responsive to the energization of said force applying element, stop means to limit the downward travel of said force applying element whenever said hammer passes beyond a predetermined point in its travel toward said bell before striking said bell, said link means including means to efiectively decouple said force applying element from said lever to permit said hammer to swing freely toward said bell after said force applying element reaches said stop, the centers oigravity of said hammer weight and said counterweight being substantially on a straight line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by said hammer exceeding the torque applied thereto by said counterweight plus the residual torque applied by said force applying element in the de-energized condition by an amount suificient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot, and a bumper mounted'on said support in the path of travel of saidhammer to stop said arm in a substantially vertical position upon the rebound of said hammer from said bell.

2. A tolling bell comprising, in combination, 2. depending bell having a flaring opening at the bottom, a support including a horizontal pivot outside said bell, an arm pivoted thereon by meansof a bearing cooperating with said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of said arm, a hammer weight at the upper end of said -arm positioned to strike the outside of the rim of said bell upon rotation of said arm to a position in which the arcuate path of said hammer is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the rim of said bell, a counterweight on the lower end of said arm, a downward force applying element having an energized and a de-energized condition, a lever on said arm and an actuating link suspending said element from said lever to apply a torque to said arm to accelerate said hammer weight toward striking relation with said bell responsive to the energization of said force applying element, stop means to limit the downward travel of said force applying element whenever said hammer passes beyond a predetermined point in its travel toward said bell before striking said bell, said link means including means to effectively decouple said force applying element from said lever to permit said hammer to swing freely toward said bell after said force applying element reaches said stop, the centers of gravity of said hammer weight and said counterweight being substantially on a straight line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by said counterweight exceeding the torque applied thereto by said hammer plus the residual torque applied by said force applying element in the deenergized condition by an amount sufiicient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot, and a bumper mounted on said support in the path of travel of said counterweight to stop said arm in a substantially vertical position upon the rebound ofsaid hammer from said hell.

3. A bell toller comprising, in combination, a support including a horizontal pivot, an arm pivoted thereon by means of a bearing cooperating with said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of said arm, a hammer weight on one end of said arm, a counterweight on the opposite end of said arm, force applying means having an energized and a de-energized condition, actuating link means connecting said force applying means to said arm to apply an actuating torque thereto about said pivot to accelerate said hammer weight responsive to energization of said force applying means, said force applying means applying a residual torque to said arm when said force applying means is in de-energized condition, the centers of gravity of said hammer weight and said counterweight being substantially on a line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by one of said weights exceeding the torque applied thereto by the other of said weights plus the residual torque of said force applying means by an amount sufilcient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot, said link means including means to effectively decouple said force applying means from said arm whenever said arm passes beyond a predetermined point in its travel from said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of said arm, a hammer weight on one end of said arm positioned to strike the rim of said bell upon rotation of said arm through a small angle from the vertical position thereof, a counterweight on the opposite end of said arm, force applying means having an actuated and an unactuated condition, actuating link means connecting said force applying means to said arm to apply an actuating torque thereto about said pivot to accelerate said hammer weight toward striking relation with said bell responsive to the actuation of said force applying means, said force applying means applying a residual torque to said arm when said force applying means is in unactuated condition, the centers of gravity of said hammer weight and said counter-weight being substantially on a line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by one of said weights exceeding the torque applied thereto by the other of said Weights plus the residual torque of said force applying means by an amount sufficient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot.

5. A tolling bell comprising, in combination, a depending bell open at the bottom, a support including a horizontal pivot, an arm pivoted thereon by means of a bearing cooperating with said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of said arm, a hammer weight on one end of said arm positioned to strike the rim of said bell upon rotation of said arm through a small angle from the vertical position thereof, a counterweight on the opposite 'end of said arm, force applying means having an actuated and an unactuated condition, actuating link means connecting said force applying means to said arm to apply an actuating torque thereto about said pivot to accelerate said hammer weight toward striking relation with said bell responsive to the actuation of said force applying means, said force applying means applying a residual torque to said arm when said force applying means is in unactuated condition, the centers of gravity of said hammer weight and said counterweight being substantially on a line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by one of said weights exceeding the torque applied thereto by the other of said weights plus the residual torque of said force applying means by an amount sufiicient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot, and a bumper mounted on said support in the path of travel of one of said weights to stop said arm in a substantially vertical position upon the rebound of said hammer from said bell.

6. A tolling bell comprising, in combination, a depending bell open at the bottom, a support including a horizontal pivot, an arm pivoted thereon by means of a bearing cooperating with said pivot, said bearing being located between the ends of saidarm, a hammer weight on one end of said arm positioned to strike the rim of said bell upon rotation of said arm through a small angle from the vertical position thereof, a counterweight on the opposite end of said arm, force applying means having an actuated and an unactuated condition, actuating link means connecting said force applying means to said arm to apply an actuating torque thereto about said pivot to accelerate said hammer weight toward striking relation with said bell responsive to the actuation of said force applying means, said force applying means applying a residual torque to said arm when said force applying means is in unactuated' condition, the centers of gravity of said hammer weight and said counterweight being substantially on a line passing through said pivot, the torque applied about said pivot by one of said weights exceeding the torque applied thereto by the other of said weights plus the residual torque of said force applying means by an amount sufiicient to bring said arm to a substantially vertical position against the friction of said bearing on said pivot, said link means including means to effectively decouple said force applying means from said arm whenever said hammer passes beyond a predetermined point in its travel toward said bell before striking said bell, whereby said arm will be substantially free-swinging at the instant of striking said bell.

ARTHUR. C. J. ROY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 408,440 Slater Aug. 6, 1889 449,866 Slater Apr. 7, 1891 824,397 Word June 26, 1906 1,054,379 Wurster Feb. 25, 1913 

